Playful Yearning
by Raven Park
Summary: What if none of the Guardians of the Galaxy events never happened. What if the crew know each-other but not in the way we know them? Well, now they're stuck in high school, but Gamora knows something. She knows that there's more to life than what it seems. She's used, abused, dead on the inside; but is that all she is? Is that all she can be? Is the world truly not a galaxy?
1. Chapter 1

Playful Yearning

By Caira D

Main Idea:

Warning: Rated M for language, graphic violence and depression. What if everything was normal? No galaxy saving all the time; just school, love, conflicts, studying, and jokes that make you laugh for days? Unfortunately, Gamora doesn't believe in that. She _knows_ there's something more. Gamora is a senior in high school, her best friend's name is Drax, a muscular, serious af male, the preps are Peter Quill, Markus Young (fan-made character), and Francis Greenday (also fan-made), and best of all, the _avoid me no matter what_ types are limited to two people, and their names are Rocket and Groot. Yes, everyone is normal in this. This takes place on Earth! Just turned to year 2000 in fact! No spaceships, no _wars_ , no 100% dicks, just school and Gamora's fear. And YOU! Yes, you, you little reader you ?! Get to see, well, _read_ , Gamora's growing fear and suspicion of life's greater purpose.

Chapter 1 out of who knows how many since it depends on how you guys feel ?

 _What the hell!_ Darkness, oh darkness, something I'm oddly familiar with. Something I hate, something that fills my fear, something that adds to my suspicion, something I _crave_. The darkness is my only escape. My only _option_. I feel like I'm falling, no, no, _descending_ into hell. Something I just want to go to already. My life is dull, I don't know where I want to go, what I want to be. I get picked on by the preps and soon everyone follows, well, except for Drax, he's always had my back. My parents are abusive, they hate me, wish for me to be dead, blame _everything_ on me. So, bring it on, I'm ready for the worst since one way or the other I'm going to hell. My parents are older, wiser, maybe their words are outrageous and unacceptable, but they may still hold a truth behind them. I feel the light burning across my concealed face, but I don't bother approaching it, instead I stay still, then a familiar buzzing noise springs to life and I jolt awake, the darkness replaced with the sight of my tiny bedroom.

 _Buzz, Buzz, Buzz._

I groan loudly and throw my hand to my left, immediately clicking off my stupid alarm clock. All I can do right now is think of the darkness I feel whenever I close my eyes, the darkness that comforts me, the only thing that will _always_ be truly there for me. Even Drax will see that everyone hates me, and he'll soon follow. He won't follow me into destruction, no one will so he won't. He'd rather save himself like everyone else. I shove my white covers off of my tiny legs and hop out of bed, groaning as my bare feet hit the hardness of the bare wood floor. Really there's only three things in my room; a bed, a stand-up mirror and a dresser containing my clothes and my make-up (that I bought with _my own money when I was thirteen_ by the way) sits on top of it, the dark room (that has no windows by the way) conceals my reflection in the mirror, so I walk over to my door with a sigh and flip the cracked light switch up, turning my single bulb of light on. I walk back over to my dresser, ignoring my reflection that will just show me the same old same old, my black tank top and shorts, like _really_ short shorts that I use to sleep in since I can't afford my own pajamas. My family isn't poor or anything, but they barely keep me alive, so what's the point in buying me something fancy? I glance over at the clock and notice the time, _6:10_. "Shit," I mutter, knowing my parents have been expecting me at the dining room table for ten minutes now. "I spent ten minutes thinking about darkness, nice one Gamora," I murmur, pulling out the second draw (of the four) on my dresser to reveal my school clothes, and I pick a tight maroon t-shirt, slip out of my, ahem, 'pajamas', and squeeze myself inside of the soft fabric, and I pick out a somewhat decent pair of black pants that are skin tight, this outfit normally gets me the last hate, and I'm already off to a bad start, so why not? I slip on some low black, silky socks and throw black three-inched high-heeled boots on over them, smiling at the warmth my feet feel.

I grab my concealer, black eye-shadow and red lipstick and walk in front of the mirror, my tan skin shining in the light of my room. I put my make-up on the floor next to my bare feet and grab my brush (on top of my dresser) and start running the thing through my tangled jet-black hair. I don't bother messing with it after I've finished smoothing it, and I grab my make-up again and apply the concealer around the needed places (my bruises), apply the eye shadow, then the lipstick and I look like a normal school girl in no-time. I hop out of my room and look to my right, seeing a single door down the carpeted hallway (my bathroom), then stroll down the left part of my hallway, where pretty much right next to my poor excuse for a room is my parents room, which I can never go in (I learned the hard way, don't ask), and then to the right side of the wall a gap opens where my kitchen, but as my parents call it, a dining room is, and right beside it is the living room where the broken-down front door is. "Late again, I see?" my father's familiar voice hums, echoing across the room. "No breakfast for you then," my mother chants back, and I look to see two large figures working swiftly on something on the stove. I roll my eyes, knowing that I still have about 40 minutes until my bus arrives, and I only live a few minutes away from the stop. Screw it. "I'm going to go now," I say, but my voice comes out as a low and disgusting croak, as if I'm using my voice for the first time. "You're not going anywhere. How many times do we have to tell you that you _always_ have to be to breakfast on time. Do you really not want food? You're already skinny enough," my father says, turning with a mischievous smirk on his chubby face of his. His nicely shaved head shines in the kitchens light, his dark brown eyes and wide lips scare me as he steps ever so closer. My mother, on the other hand, is hard at work, her glistening red hair almost distracting me. I've never gotten such a good look at my parents before, eye contact is forbidden in my household after all. "I need to leave, I just applied my make-up and a new bruise will appear half-way through the day make-up or not, so leaving a mark would not be very smart father, someone will discover that you've been beating me," I say, bowing my head as I inch closer and closer to the door. My father growls, but even he sees the logic in my words, and he wipes himself back around and starts to clean more dishes with my mother. I stifle my sighs of relief as I rush out the door and run down to my bus stop, deep down inside I know that what the school kids do to me is _way, way_ better than my parents. I'm afraid to go home, at least school won't last forever, it's late March after all, and I'm a senior who has no plan for college.

After what feels like an eternity, the yellow bus arrives and I hop on without hesitation and take my seat on the very first seat to the left side of the bus. Right behind the driver, where he can see me and protect me from the violence. My bus driver, Mr. Adel, may be on the older side (like 55) but he's still the closest thing to a father I have. This bus is my only true safe place. He tries his best to get my bullying to stop, he tells the principals and guidance counselors but I am yet to get out of one school day unharmed. "How are you today Mr. Adel?" I ask as he fires up the engine and closes the door as the last student comes in. "I'm fine, how was your morning Gamora?" he asks back, his old, creaking voice still comes out sweet and he even hints at sympathy through his facial expressions. I nod and reply, "could've been better, but I'm alright." He smiles politely, his angel-like white hair glistening in the sun. "I hope your school day is the same," he replies and I nod, "thank you." Once the bus goes, it never stops, at least, that's what it feels like. I drown myself away from the constant laughing and jokes behind me, and I especially ignore the leader of the preps, Peter Quill, who sits in the very back of the bus. I snap myself back into reality when the four-story white-brick building comes into view, and I glance back and see Peter Quill sitting there, not talking or even smiling, but his eyes are locked on me. I gulp and as soon as the bus doors open I jump out and walk to the entrance, not bothering to look ahead or behind me, I just keep my gaze on the floor since I know exactly where I'm going, my first class, aka homeroom. I walk into the building and finally look up to see the brown square floors and white walls and ceilings that are smooth with no visible cracks, which makes me remember my tiny room with all the cracks in the world. I look around and see the oval-shaped room I'm in, and I recognize it as the lobby, where the security guard is wandering the walls and there's a front desk to my far left, but more importantly, I've been standing still for too long and there's a staircase leading to the next floor in front of me. I sigh and turn to go up them until warm, long hands grab my wrists and I gasp and turn around, seeing Peter Quill's beautiful face. _Beautiful? WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING?!_ "Listen I've already had a rough morning, so if you could save slamming me into a locker until the end of the day I'd much appreciate it," I growl, trying to pull my wrist away, but his grip is too strong, I mean, he is in the body-building club after all so what did I expect?

I struggle to move until I calm myself down enough to look into his sea of eyes (blue eyes for short). I see the regret in his eyes and my snarl turns into a frown, and my hand relaxes slowly, but I know that I need to get to homeroom, only five minutes left until the bell rings and I'm still another minute away. "What's wrong?" I ask, and I immediately take them back. Why do I care about him so much? Why is he growing on me? Why is he even _looking_ at me in the first place? "I'm not like them, I'm not a prep, I'm so, so, so, sorry Gamora. I want to get to know you, help fix this awful mess I've created. I heard about what your parents do to you from Drax, what you think of me, what you think of _life_ , and it hurts me so much to know that I caused that for hating you for whatever reason," he softly explains, his deep voice making me shudder. I just want to reach out, hug him, tell him that this will be all okay and that I forgive him. I curse under my breath, I can't possibly forgive him! He made my life a living hell! I can't believe I'm even talking to him, I can't believe I'm looking at him. "How could I possibly trust you after _everything_ you've done to me, you _hate_ me, you _despise_ me and now you're all like, 'hey maybe I made her life too much of a living hell so let's be friends cause she'll _totally_ be cool with that!'" I mimic, my face turning itself back into a snarl. "Please Gamora, you have to believe me, and isn't it worth the risk? Drax says you just want to end yourself already, so what else have you got to lose? What if I am telling the truth and your life can get better?" he questions, raising his eyebrows, and I can't help but stare in awe at his face and body structure, and, more importantly, I can't help but _want_ to believe him. I slowly nod, "fine, what do you have in mind?" His face lights up and his lips curve in a smile, and I can't help but smile with him. "Meet me in front of the school when the days over," he simply says, and he releases my wrist and walks away, clearly his homeroom is on the other side of the school. All I do is stand there in complete shock until I feel a hand on my shoulder, causing me to jump. I spin around and see a tall, well-built man standing there, his dark skin and bald head makes me smile. Drax. "Let's go to homeroom," I say with a gulp, hoping he didn't hear or see any of that.

~Lunch~

My classes actually went pretty smoothly, the main preps, Markus and Francis, left me alone during my algebra and history class, and the nobodies didn't approach me, asking me to join them, in German and Band, so maybe things _are_ getting better. Or, maybe this is just a dream and my fantasies of living a happy life for just _one school day_ are actually not happening. I enter the lunch room that happens to be on the front floor, next to the lobby, and immediately spot Drax sitting in his normal spot at our table, the smallest with the nobodies and us. No one sits there except for us, and the preps all sit in the farthest table away from us, so we're all good. I rush over to my spot (next to Drax, of course) and sit down, my smile ceasing to fade. Rocket, a short pale man sits there, looking more pale than usual. I look closely and see Groot, his buddy, a tall but skinny, tan-skinned man with dark chocolate-like eyes looking worried. I turn to Drax and he's shivering, and my smile fades, and I see what he means. The preps are walking over here, towards the three empty seats across from Drax and me. I gulp nervously as Peter sits across from me, Markus across from Drax, and Francis across from Rocket. The hairs on my neck shoot straight up as Peter extends his hand across the table and takes my hand. "I truly do want to help you, but these two don't," he says, and I feel heat rushing to my cheeks as the warmth of his hand circulates into mine. "W-What?" I stammer, lightly pulling my hand away before I turn fully red. "I tried to stop them, since I see them hurting you, and I can't bear to see this anymore," he replies, his eyes clouding up with tears. "What happened to you?" I ask nervously, and the other two laugh and stand up. "I saw that what they were doing was wrong, and I knew I needed to stop that, so please, come with me to my table, there's a table in the back that's split in half, there's only two spots back there left, for you and me," he says with a gulp. Markus grabs Groot's short brown hair and throws him onto the ground, taking his spot, and Markus does the same to Rocket, grabbing his black hair and even ripping a chunk of it out in the process. Even though I think Rocket and Groot are creepy and unusual, I can't help but feel anger boil up inside of me. "What the hell?" I ask, standing up. The other two stand and Peter gulps. "Guys, stop," he says quietly but fiercely. I snap my head back to look at Peter and growl. "They just threw two innocent kids onto the ground, they haven't ever done anything to you and _that's what you say_? Stop? That's it? You fucking coward," I say, my lower lip quivering. Peter's eyes cloud with tears again. "I don't want to fail you like I did my mother Gamora, but I still have fears, just like you," he says, his frown deepening. "Stop, now!" I hiss, and Peter stands and walks to my side. "Just leave them alone, they have nothing to do with my decision," Peter says calmly. Oh, you little fuckers. Being butthurt and hurting people that don't even _bother you_ just because your friend is leaving you? Markus and Francis grab Drax by the shoulders and lift him up, making a scream explode through the air. It took a few seconds for me to realize that _I_ was the one screaming. They throw Drax into the cafeteria walls, right next to the staircase leading to the hallway. "Drax!" I call, running forward until I feel arms stopping me and completely pinning me to a nearby wall. "NO!" I scream as Markus and Francis continuously punch Drax in the gut. I look back and see Peter trying to get the person restraining me off of me, and I almost smile, but remember Drax and start fighting back again. Drax manages to throw Francis down, his flowing, jet-black hair hitting the ground satisfies me, but I don't smile. I see Drax cough up blood as Markus throws him to the floor and kicks him. Suddenly, Peter throws the person off of me and I run over to Drax and stand in front of him, Markus pauses, clearly about to kick again. "Cease this nonsense!" I hear our guidance counselor, Mr. K, call, rushing over to us with three security guards behind him. I back away and practically trip over my own feet. "Hey," I hear Peter whisper from behind me, his warm breath settling on my neck. "He'll be alright, I'm so sorry Gamora," he continues, stepping in front of me, but not blocking my view of Drax. At this rate I don't even care, the blood loss from times I've been beaten so hard from my parents and school kids alike, the stress of work, and the fight I just witnessed build up on me, and I start falling, but Peter catches me and wraps me into a hug, and I don't care if I hate him, I don't care if he barely tried to help; I'm just grateful for the comfort. I softly sob into his maroon leather jack, but he doesn't mind, he just gently rubs my back as I replay that whole scenario in my head. "Let's go," one of the three male security guards say, and Peter pulls away slowly, his beautiful eyes staring into mine. "You can hold onto if you'd like, I'd think nothing of it," he whispers, and I nod, barely comprehending his words, but I lean on his shoulder and grab his hand firmly as we walk up the small four stairs and up to the nurse's office, where Drax is badly hurt.

~After ten minutes of a montage of patching Drax up, oh, and there's _lots_ of silence~

I still have my head lying perfectly against Peter's shoulder as I watch the nurse inspect the wounds on his stomach, and I replay the fight one last time in my brain before I look up at Peter, and he must've felt my hair moving since he looks down as well. We sit across from Drax, on the nice red couch that is somehow more comfortable than my bed. Drax is on the verge of unconsciousness, and Peter's eyes have been full of sadness since we've got here. Meanwhile, I've been the mess who's been crying so much I'm positive I've left a stain in Peter's jacket. "What's on your mind, well, other than Drax?" he asks, his voice full of sympathy. "I wanted to thank you," I say, knowing that even if he was being questionable at first, he literally took care of me back there and right now, so I guess I owe him. "For comforting me and pulling that guy off of me," I finish, closing my eyes. I feel him brush a stray strand of hair out of my face and I can't help but smile. Despite everything's that's happened, I can't help but notice how _natural_ this feels. Me leaning on his shoulder is just one example. Being around him, the _craving_ , the _yearning_ ; it's killing me. Why do I feel this way? "No problem," he simply says, and I can practically hear the smile spreading across his face. I open my eyes and see that my ears did not deceive me. "You should smile more often," I reply, smiling in return, "you have a nice one." He chuckles and nods in reply, "you should too, you look even more beautiful when you're smiling." I don't even attempt to hide my blush, but I avert my eyes and turn my gaze to the now-unconscious Drax. "I'm sorry, that sounded weird, but you really are beautiful, and I hate that my crew and I made you feel otherwise. I know that I should be on my knees, begging for forgiveness, but after what just happened..." he trails off and I look back up at him. "You want me to have some time before I decide to forgive you or not?" I finish with a question, and he nods. "I'll still meet you after school if you'd like," I say, and I feel his body stiffen for a few seconds before he starts relaxing like normal again. "R-Really? I'd like that," he whispers, and we both turn our gazes to Drax and the nurse who finishes patching him up and approaches us. "The two who started the attack are in the office, however, Peter, they would like to question you," she says sweetly, and her blonde hair shines in the light coming in from the window in the back of the dark room. "You, however," the nurse says, looking at me, and my eyes light up. "You can stay here as long as you'd like dear," she finishes with a sweet smile, and as much as I'd like to stay, I don't know why but I feel like I should answer questions too. I let my smile fade and I shake my head slowly, "I'm going with Peter, I was there and I know the first two who got attacked, so I can answer whatever they'd like," I reply, feeling Peter squeeze my hand gratefully. The nurse nods and smiles, "Of course, that makes sense, I'll call the office to let them know you're coming." I nod my thanks and we stand, still hand-in-hand, but I walk over to Drax and put my free hand on his forehead. "It should've been me," I mutter, and after a few seconds of waiting I walk out of the nurse's office (which this one is on the third story, but there's one office on every floor in case there's an extremely rare case of a broken leg and no elevators are available.

Luckily for us, there's only two main offices; the information office in the lobby (normally just called the 'main office') and the principal's office, which is also on this floor. Even more luck! The office is only a few classrooms away from the nurse's office. I nervously smile at Peter as we walk to the office and enter it, where there's simply a desk and two chairs in front of it. Markus and Francis are sitting in the two chairs and turn back to see us, chuckling as they see our hands locked together. Mr. P, or Mr. Polyuminer, is sitting behind his desk, his face rested in a stressed-out position that I've had before, and I squeeze Peter's hand as we walk forward and in front of the desk. "I assume you are Gamora and Peter. I'd like to hear what you saw today from Gamora first, then Peter," Mr. P says in a deep tone, clearly hating every second that he has to deal with nonsense like this. "I just watched as Markus and Francis pulled Rocket and Groot out of their seats, then they forced Drax against a wall and started beating him, and someone started to hold me back from getting to him. Peter set me free, but as soon as I stepped in front of Drax the security guards showed up, so it didn't go too, too far," I say strongly, trying to show the preps how much I'm willing to fight to get my old, not-so-bad life back. "So, Peter had nothing to do with this?" he asks, raising his right eyebrow. I nod, "you can watch the security cameras, he didn't do anything, he tried to stop them too," I say, looking at Peter who smiles in return. "Do you know who grabbed you?" he asked, writing something down on a filled-up piece of paper. "No," I simply say, but Peter clears his throat, "I do, his name is Sebastian Greenday, Francis's brother," Peter says, no emotion in his voice, which makes me worried. "Alright, thank you. Anything else you two want to add?" he asks, looking up at the two of us. I turn to Peter and he shakes his head, "no, thank you though," I say as we walk out and wait for school to be over.

~Outside, after school~

"Here's my number and address," I say, handing a piece of folded paper to Peter as he hands his to me. I giggle as we exchange numbers and addresses, since you know, Peter lives close to me, so why not? "You want to come over to my place tonight, at eight?" he asks, and I immediately nod, and his face brightens up. "Great! See you then, I'll give you two a minute, but I'll save you a spot on the bus!" Peter calls as he runs to our bus, and I laugh, then turn to Drax. "You two are friends?" he asks in concern. "Um, yeah. He tried to stop all this and he's trying to be my friend, to fix what he believes broke me. He also let me ruin his leather jacket with my tears during lunch today, so I think he's fine," I reply with a smile as I inch closer, careful not to touch his stomach. "That's not important, I haven't seen you since your beating, so, how are you feeling?" I ask with a small frown. "I'm alright, it only hurt for a minute, when I stood up," he replies with a smile, his dark skin still glistening in the sun. "Better go after him, I'll be alright," he says at my silence. "You sure?" I ask, frowning and resting my hand on his cheek. "Go, I don't want to say it again," he says playfully and I giggle but back away and head towards my bus. You know, despite everything that just happened, I think this was the best school day I've had. Sure, they hurt my best friend, but I actually went a full school day without any new bruises.

I find my bus with ease and hop in, seeing Peter in the first seat right up against the window makes my heart start beating faster. He doesn't notice me until I sit down next to him and he smiles one of his gorgeous smiles. "Talking to your boyfriend?" he asks playfully and I hit him lightly with my elbow. " _Best_ friend you mean?" I ask with a smile. "Gamora, did you make a new friend?" our bus driver asks with a smile, clearly not recognizing Peter despite his reputation. "Yes Mr. Adel, and he even lives like right next to me," I say louder than intended, and Peter chuckles beside me. I feel my cheeks burning but I don't look at him, instead I keep my eyes steady on Mr. Adel. "That's great dear! I hope you two stay friends until college and beyond," he says excitedly. I smile sweetly, "thank you Mr. Adel." He nods and sits down, immediately starting to drive since he always waits an extra three minutes for late students, our bus is in the back after all. "Everything alright between you and him?" Peter suddenly asks, and I tilt my head until I realize what he means. "Yeah, yeah, we're good. But stop worrying about me, tell me about you," I say, leaning closer, but my mind sparks and fills me in. _Let me guess! Let me guess!_ My mind pleas, and I play along. _He probably loves music and has a picture of David Hasselhoff in his jacket, pretending that he's his father and his mother shared all her favorite pop songs from back in the 1980's with him and now he won't go anywhere without his music player, aka the Walkman. He has a strange passion for flying and likes to tell stories of ravagers who kidnapped him as a kid after his mother's passing and used him for being small, while in reality they were just protecting him from his real father who happened to be a maniac._ My mind throws together these ideas at once and I smile as he opens his mouth, but my smile changes more and more into the shape of an _o_ as he speaks. He just repeated exactly what my mind said. He even went in depth on the story of ravagers and aliens and some guys named Ronan and Ego. What. The actual. Fuck?

 **A/N: Hey guys! Please leave reviews to let me know what you think and leave predictions on what you think will happen between the lovely Gamora and the charming Peter Quill, aka Star Lord. I apologize for making Rocket a quiet kid, but trust me, that changes** **?** **! Good reading and good day/night! Follow and favs are appreciated but I'm all for them reviews! Thanks in advance! ~Caira**

 **P.S.- this story won't be updated** ** _every day_** **but at least two-three times every week should be good, I mean, I still have other fanfics to write, and, if this story gets good reviews and favs and follows, then sure, I'll try to update closer to five or six days a week you know? Thanks so much again! Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

My eyes widen as he finally finishes his story, and I see that he spoke so much that we're already at our bus stop. "Damn," he whispers as we hop out of our seats, "I'm sorry I feel like a jerk I just kept talking and talking and _talking_." I giggle as we exit and step off to the side. "You're fine Quill, I actually enjoyed it," I say, deciding not to tell him what I thought of earlier. He sighs in relief and turns in the direction of his house. "See you at eight?" he asks, raising his right eye brow. I struggle to find words and just force whatever's there out. "CanIcomeovernow?" I throw out, feeling heat rise in my cheeks. "Whoa there cowgirl, you gotta speak slower," he says with a chuckle. "Can," I start, taking in much needed deep breaths, "I come over now?" "Why?" he asks, and I take his hand and drag him even further away from anyone in earshot. "You told me you spoke to Drax about my parents. I lasted a school day without being beaten, but I can't survive my parents. _Please_ ," I beg, unintentionally whining. "As soon as you feel threatened, come over, but at least try, okay? It's worth a shot," he replies sweetly. I nod, stifling another whine. I need him, I _yearn_ for him and I still don't know why. He nods and walks away, leaving me alone, but luckily, I don't feel fear this time. I may be alone but not broken, I'm actually standing. As soon as I turn to go home someone grabs my hand. "Peter?" I ask turning around, but no, it's Sebastian, the guy who pinned me to a wall while my friend was getting hurt. His blue eyes scan me, then after a few seconds, he opens his mouth to speak. "So, you sold me out biscuit?" he asks in a deep tone, his blond hair sparkling in the sunlight. "Actually, I don't even know who you are, I didn't know your name but _someone else did_ ," I hiss, struggling to break free of his grasp. He makes _tsk_ sounds with his mouth before releasing me, and I rub my now-red wrist. "Now, now, you are quite a troublemaker, aren't you? Not stopping that someone from exposing me?" he says, and I immediately turn to run but he grabs me again. "Why do you hate me all of a sudden?" I ask, scanning him. His body may be tall but he's skinny and not too, too muscular, so I can probably take him down if it comes to that. "Because," he pulls me in closer, to the rate where we're inches apart, and I stay still, as still as possible. "you're going to get me expelled," he finishes in a low whisper, leaning down to my ear. I use my free hand to push him away and he gasps in shock, but that's all I need. I pull my wrist from his grasp and before I run, he pounces towards me, trying to pin me again, but I dodge easily and see where he's standing. He doesn't have a strong stance with his legs. Perfect! I spring forward and he gasps at my speed, and I kick his feet out from underneath him, and he goes crashing to the ground, and with that, I run, knowing that he'll just keep coming back.

~At my house~

I open my front door and walk in, seeing my parents on the couch, their eyes glued to the screen. "Hello," my mother grunts, keeping her eyes on the screen. I have no bag on my shoulders for once, and I smile, relieved that I will be going out tonight, and luckily, my bathroom has a window. It has a curtain over it, but it's good enough. I can pry that open and sneak out, then to Peter's. Well, sounds like a plan. I walk over to the kitchen and open the fridge, deciding to be nice to them for once. "Mom, dad? Do you want a drink or something?" I call, looking at the different beverages in the fridge. "What?" my mother hisses and I look back to see my _father._ Yes, my _father_ , silencing her. "Yes, I'll take a Coors Light," he replies, for once, he doesn't sound angry. I grab it off of the bottom shelf and open it, then gracefully walk over and hand it to him. "How was your day?" I ask them, and my mother looks more relaxed than ever. "Boring," she replies, both of their eyes still glued to the screen. "You still need to be punished for that fast-one you pulled this morning," my mother growls, and my father nods. "Go to your room, we'll come in soon," my father says with a hint of a growl in his voice. "Can I use the bathroom first?" I ask, trying not to whine. "I don't care as long as you're in your room when I'm there!" my father growls, and I jump but quickly head into the bathroom. The bathroom is somehow bigger than my room. I close and lock the wooden door behind me and look to my left, where a simple sink with a mirror lies. Though my dental tools are on the counter of the sink, I doubt they'll help me with what I'm about to do. Very simple bathroom, cracked white ceilings, baby blue walls and checkered floors that are the newest thing in my house. I walk over to the window (which happens to be right above the toilet) and jump on the seat, then inspect it. It is covered by a curtain, but the glass isn't see-through either, so I guess I'm alright after all. I see two hooks on the bottom of the window and lift them up, making sure that they don't make too loud of a noise. Once the hooks are detached, I try to lift the window up, but it barely moves. "Ugh," I growl, scanning the window again. This time, I see the problem. There are two more hooks at the top left and right corners. I sigh and chuckle to myself as I lift them up, and I feel no surprise as the window breaks free and I slip it up, allowing me to taste my freedom. "GAMORA! GET THE HELL OUT OF THAT GOD DAMN BATHROOM! I NEED TO PUNISH YOU!" my father screams, and I whine and jump out the window, feeling dirt and gravel on my arms and pants. I stand and brush myself off, then I quickly move out of the vicinity of my property and lean over on my knees, panting. I remember Peter and pull the tiny piece of paper from out of my back pocket and swiftly read it and head off in the direction of his house. This should be interesting.

~Gamora finds his house~

Wow. That's all I can say. Wow. I haven't seen such a beautiful house in my town before. His house is tall _and_ wide. Two stories with what looks like to be an attic, and the house goes back into the woods right behind the street. I walk up the four stairs leading to his covered porch and knock on the elegant wooden door, and after only a few seconds of waiting, Peter opens the door, his eyes widening as he sees me. I force a smile, "I locked myself in the bathroom, if I didn't leave my father would've beaten me." He frowns and grabs my hand lightly, making me go crazy in my mind. "We _have_ to inform the police, we just _have to_ ," he growls, pulling me inside and shutting the door behind him. "You have a nice house," I say shyly, but he smiles and nods, "thanks." The first room I'm in is just his living room if I were to guess, dimly lit room, a turned off flat-screen TV, a dark brown, chocolate colored couch and a smaller, same color couch right next to it. Soft, tan carpets that blend in with the dark room. Basic set-up, but very nice. The walls and ceiling are not cracked, which takes me by surprise since as nice as this house may be, it looks like (from the outside, at least) it's on the older side. The walls are a nice, dark, shade of red and the ceilings are a nice gray color. I smile at the warmness of this room and look at Peter. "When are you ready to inform them? The police, I mean?" Peter asks, noticing my glance. I sigh, grateful for his help but still scared. "Tell me everything," he adds, and his grip on my hand tightens and he pulls me down on the couch. "My parents have been violent and cruel for as long as I can remember, it never got bad, I promise, it didn't, and they _are_ my parents so I think deep down inside they love me," I pause to let out a sigh, and Peter brushes some loose strands of hair away from my face. "They did do something bad, recently too," I start, and I look to see Peter keeping his gaze locked on mine. I may not know him too well yet, but he seems like a good talker and listener. Maybe he can teach _me_ how to be social. I mentally laugh at the thought but quickly go back to being sad as I relive my recent past. "Two weeks ago, I was in the hospital because of a lung collapse. My mother kicked me so hard I couldn't breathe, and soon after I went to the hospital due to passing out in school after Markus slammed me into a locker. Also, your buddy Sebastian seems nice. I had to run away from him as soon as you left me. He started threatening me. I got away, used some martial arts from my school, aka the school where my dad beats me up and I copy what he did," I say, weakly attempting a joke. "I'm so sorry, I should've never let the other preps hurt you. I should've never left you at the stop, I should've just called the police immediately, I should've known better," Peter whispers, a look of remorse in his eyes. "Hey," I say, putting my hand on his cheek, "it's alright, you're here with me now." He smiles, "I invited the creeps over by the way." My eyes widen, "what?" His doorbell rings and he laughs, leaving me on the couch to answer. He swings open the door and Rocket and Groot come in, looking more confident than I think I've ever seen them. Well, not that I choose to look at them.

"She's here?" Rocket growls, and I giggle at his voice, deep but too deep for his body. Peter smiles at my giggles as he comforts the two boys. "We're all friends here." "I am Groot," Groot says in a little squeak, and I have to force myself mentally _and_ physically not to laugh. Rocket and Groot should switch voices. I smile at Peter as he chuckles watching me, but my smile soon turns to a frown when random pain sparks in my chest. I block it off at first until it becomes unbearable, but not like I would know, since I pass out a few seconds later.

"We should've taken her to a hospital!" I hear someone growl, probably Rocket. "Calm down. My question is, do you think she likes me?" I hear another voice reply. "What are we gonna do Quill? She doesn't remember and yet she's the key to sending us back home!" Rocket growls back, and I assume the second voice is Quill. "I am Groot," another squeak says from behind me. I feel just the comforting darkness, and I let it help me. Instead of alerting them to my regained consciousness, I eavesdrop, knowing they're talking about me. "You heard what Yondu said, but wait? Does Drax remember? He would've told her by now," Peter replies. "You're right I have no idea. I'll ask him tomorrow, but if he never told her I doubt it." I hear Peter sigh, and I limit my breathing, knowing he'll hear me. "We need to get back as soon as possible, so I'll spend as much time as I can with her. Unlock her memories and we'll return to Yondu," Peter says, and Rocket sighs. "Just tell her man, we need this." Peter growls, "you think I don't want to? You know what Yondu said don't you?" Rocket gasps in surprise, "I completely forgot." I spring up into a coughing fit and Peter immediately rushes over and hands me a glass of a liquid I can't see. I gulp it down to realize it's water and I look up at Peter who has a concerned look on his face. "I listened to all of that, by the way. What's going on?" I ask in a low croak, and I feel Peter re-adjust the blanket he must've wrapped around me when I fell unconscious. "We should be more worried about your health!" Rocket hisses, turning his back to me. "I never thought I'd say this but I agree with Rocket," Peter mumbles, leaning back to look at me. "I am Groot," Groot says from the doorway. "I agree, we're leaving!" Rocket growls, slamming the door shut behind them. I sigh with Peter and glare at him. "What's going on Peter?" I ask in a quiet voice. "Don't worry about it Gamora," he whispers back with a wink. "Let's just get to know each-other," he adds, plopping down next to me. "Who takes care of you? You said you don't have a mom or dad," I blurt out, immediately regretting mentioning his mother and father. His cheeks turn slightly red as he stammers out an answer, "M-My grandad." I frown and look down.

"What's wrong?" he asks, tilting my chin back up. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned your parents, I can tell you're sensitive about that topic." He shakes his head and smiles sweetly. "I'm only sensitive about my dad. I never really knew him so. I'm just afraid, you know? What if I don't like what I see if I meet him?" Peter replies, not taking his eyes off of me. I put my hand on his cheek and smile. "Peter, I'm sure you'll meet him one day, and even if he isn't what you _want_ him to be, it'll be alright. He may be nothing like you, but he must love you." Peter's lips curve into an even wider smile and he nods. "Thanks, Gamora, but _I_ have a question for _you_ ," he replies, looking at me with mischievous eyes. I sigh and roll my eyes playfully. "Have you ever danced before?" I immediately wipe the smile off of my face and stare at him with wide eyes. "Of course not, I was brought up to be like a warrior, no feelings, bruises, no mercy…" I let my voice trail off and I see him frown. "That has to change," he whispers, and he pulls out an old device that I don't recognize, but it says _Zune_ as it loads up, and he puts on _Fooled Around and Fell in Love_ by _Elvin Bishop_. The melody kicks into the air and I look around, confused. He laughs as lyrics pump out, "it's coming from this warrior." He taps on the _Zune_ and I laugh nervously as he stands and offers me his hand. "Come on, one dance and I'll be satisfied,"" he says with such an amazing, charming smile that I comply and suddenly we're slow dancing, our right hands connected, our breath hitting each-other because of how close we are, and his free hand is on my waist, guiding me. "Just follow my lead," he whispers in a tone that makes me go crazy on the inside. We move slowly but in a nice, relaxing, even _romantic_ way. I sigh as I feel the yearning to be _closer_ to him again. Why do I feel this way? I've never felt this way about anyone. Well… except maybe Drax. The best friend I fell in love with, but I'm almost certain he doesn't feel the same. I don't even know if I have feelings for him anymore. Speaking of love and feelings, Peter starts to ask me a question. "Have you ever had a boyfriend? Or fell in love?" he asks quietly. I nod, "I've never had a boyfriend, but I did have feelings for someone. Someone close to me." He lets out a nervous sigh, "Drax." I nod, looking up at his sad eyes. "Why? Have you? Had a girlfriend, I mean." He chuckles and looks down at me. "I have had a _lot_ of girlfriends before. Not my choice though. I've never _truly_ fallen in love. So, I guess we _do_ actually have some things in common little miss warrior freak," he says, and I smile warmly. "Maybe we have more in common than either of us think," I reply. "Exactly why we need to get to know each-other," he says as he lets go of me as the song ends. "What kind of music do _you_ like?" he asks, shutting off his Zune and putting it in his back pocket. "I don't listen to music. I've only ever heard a few songs from Drax, but I didn't like any of them. Although, that song was pleasant." "Pleasant," he says with a laugh, "I think you're the most interesting person I know." I can't help it anymore, I let my cheeks turn red and he smiles gently, clearly observing my cheeks. "Being a prep is pretty interesting, huh?" I ask to keep his attention away from my cheeks. "Interesting," he groans, "it's terrible. Hearing all this gossip and the other preps _force_ me to share it. Knowing that quite a few people hate me just because of who I hang out with. We're viewed as perfect. We break the rules just enough not to be caught and do the stupidest shit ever." I sigh, reliving a moment when Francis told his little goons to get me. Peter was never one to even look at me, so I guess I did hate him for no reason. "You've got a point," I saw with a shrug. "I hated you despite not knowing you. You never attacked me, hurt me, or talked to me yet I hated you just as much as Markus and Francis," I finish, looking down. "Sit," he says, and I obey and plop down next to him on his couch. He grabs my hands and I look at him, feeling safer already. "I remember every day, wondering if anyone would ever _truly_ care about me. Guy or girl, not just use me for some popularity contest. I hung out with the preps because I needed to. Do you feel the same way?" he asks, his voice smooth as silk. I nod, "yes, and Peter, I may have only really known you for a day, but I can tell that we're going to be _very_ good friends. You seem like me. Strong and independent but still, you have your problems, you've made mistakes, you admit to those mistakes I'm sure, but you also care about everyone around you. You didn't even know me, but you knew why everyone hates me, and despite that you want to help. I can never thank you enough."

He smiles, "Gamora, no one should hate you. I like you, Drax likes you, I'm sure Rocket and Groot like you despite that you never talk to them. I know that Markus and Francis and Sebastian and whoever else that hates you just say that, but really, they _love_ you. They _want_ to be you. Stunningly beautiful, a strong-willed personality, smart, not afraid to speak your mind, jeez, I can go on _forever_ and I barely know you, so don't thank me, let _me_ thank _you_." I blush uncontrollably and glance at him. "I'm not any of those things, especially not beautiful or smart," I mutter and look down again. He tilts my chin up again and I sigh. "Don't you dare doubt yourself, alright? Has Drax ever told you how beautiful you are? How strong? How _smart_. Come on, _no one_ gets into high honors with distinction in our school anymore. No one except you." I shake my head. "He never has said that before, but yeah, okay, maybe I'm smart but at certain things. Like how you're smart with words and music, I'm smart academically, but I _know_ I'm not beautiful. _Maybe_ cute but not _stunningly beautiful._ I suppose I am strong, I did kick Sebastian's ass," I murmur, forcing myself to keep a steady gaze on Peter. With how close we are, I'm able to get a good look at him, and oh boy is he handsome. Well-structured face, perfect jawline, a stubble beard and mustache, hair that I just want to run my fingers through and claim for myself. Since when did I become like this? I BARELY KNOW HIM! "Have you _ever_ looked in a mirror. If you don't think you're beautiful, then I don't know what to say. Everyone that bullies you and calls you names even admitted, and they tell me this _right to my face_ , that you are the most beautiful woman they've ever seen. You're just so _perfect_ and they're just so _jealous_!" Peter claims, and despite everything and everyone, I believe him. I believe his words despite _knowing_ that I'm nothing more than ugly, what everyone calls me.

"Okay, fine, I believe you," I say, and he smiles, but it soon fades. "Do you still… you know… _like_ Drax?" he asks, fiddling with my fingers that I completely forgot were in his hands. What's happening to me? Am I melting or something? Since when did I let anyone get close to me? ESPECIALLY a guy? "I honestly don't know how I feel about him. Or you," I add the last part so quiet I doubt he heard, but he nods. "If he isn't telling you how amazing you are, then just stay friends, trust me, we're friends and _I'm_ calling you stunningly beautiful." I smile, "what if he's just scared that I'll think something more of it?" "Oh, stop it, random people who don't know you call you beautiful!" I roll my eyes, and for the rest of the night we drown in our conversations that are mostly about our dreams and future.

~Later that night, approximately 3 a.m.~

"Oh shit, it's Saturday," Peter mumbles, not taking his eyes off of me. "I've literally just told you _everything_ about me," I say with a giggle. He chuckles back, "I assume you're sleeping over?" I nod, "if it isn't any trouble, I'd rather not be sleeping in a bathroom that probably has its' door knocked down." He smiles warmly, "we are telling the police tomorrow, you understand?" I sigh, "I don't want to get them in trouble." He sighs with me, clearly knowing what I'm going through. "My friend, I mean, a _true_ friend of mine was going through what you are, but didn't want to tell out of fear, but I told for him and he hated me, and never talked to me for about a month until he came up to me and thanked me for getting his life out of the gutter. Gamora, this is my chance to _truly_ help you." I frown, feeling tears sting at my eyes. "You don't really like me, do you? You're just doing this to convince yourself that you're not like the other preps, that you're not a monster, you want to change and you're using me to do it," I accuse, my voice shaking. "What? No, no, no, I want to be your friend Gamora." I turn away from him, but almost immediately I yelp as he wraps his arms around me for a tight bear hug. "Don't think that, _please_ ," he begs, and I sigh. "Fine," I simply reply in a grumpy tone. "You should sleep, we've had a long day. I'll sleep on the other couch." I nod and almost immediately fall asleep when my head hits the soft material of the couch. "Goodnight," I hear him whisper, but I don't bother to reply as I fall into the darkness.

No, not darkness, a dream. I've only had one dream before, more like a nightmare of what my parents would do to me if they caught me with anything lower than an A+ grade. I pop up into a large white area. Endless white, endless and endless. I look around, not knowing that this is _actually_ a dream. I look up and instead of seeing whiteness, I see a galaxy and a large ship flying through it, many other small, golden ships behind it, shooting at it as it soars through the stars and towards a belt of teleporting asteroids. Why do I feel like I know this? Why do I care? The scene replays _over and over and over_ again until I snap awake, seeing that it's already 10 a.m. "W-What the hell?" I ask myself. "What's wrong?" I hear Peter's voice croak from the other couch. "I had a dream for the first time, well, no, second time. All I normally see is darkness. I miss it," I add the last part to myself, and I look over to see Peter yawning and stretching before sitting down carefully on the edge of the couch, careful not to sit on my feet. "I had a dream too. About space." "Me too," I reply. "There was this large ship going towards an asteroid belt, no- not just asteroids- teleporting asteroids! There were a bunch of golden ships behind it, shooting and trying to knock it down. The strangest part was that I felt like I was there, like I should remember it," I mutter, looking into his stunning eyes. "Me too," he says in a whisper, and I frown. "Do you feel like me, l-like you were there?" He slowly nods, looking at me with sad eyes. "You were there Gamora," he whispers so quietly I almost don't hear it. "What?" I ask, raising my eyebrows. "Y-You heard that? Sorry, I meant, I saw you on the ship. A-Alone though." I brush my fingers through my hair, contemplating his words. "This makes no sense. I never dream, so why now? And why did we share a dream? A dream that felt real," I whisper, and he moves closer. "I'm sorry that _this_ is the kind of dream you have. You should have a dream that doesn't confuse you, you should have a dream that makes you _happy_ ," he says warmly, and I nod. "I mean, thanks, but thinking isn't always a bad thing," I say with a smirk. "Maybe," is all he says as we lean back and think about this weird dream.

 **A/N: Sorry this is a short chapter. I want these chapters to be more like 8k words, not 4500, but hopefully the next chapter will be up by Saturday or maybe even Friday if I'm not busy. I'm making this my number 1 fanfic since two people have faved it so far and it's barely been up for a day! So thank you! However, I do still want reviews to know what I should do more of and fix. Please just constructive criticism and not flat out hate, I don't like that. This is supposed to be a peaceful atmosphere, not one that makes people feel bad, so please just tell me what to improve on! Thanks again! Bye!**

 **~Caira**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong? I feel like you're not telling me something," I ask, standing up. "I was about to ask you the same thing, but I promise I know nothing," he immediately replies. "But this is not the number one priority right now, I'm getting the police whether you like it or not." I nod, "fine, not like I have a choose." He sighs, "you can go clean-up, the bathroom should have everything you need, right down the hallway." I nod and bite my lip before standing and doing as I'm told.

Peter's PoV

I pull out my phone and quickly punch in _911._ I step outside and unfold the paper in my jeans' back pocket. "Hello, 911, what's your emergency?" I hear a female voice answer on the other side of the line. "Yes, hello. I'm friends with a girl named Gamora, and she gets beaten up by her parents almost every day," I say as calmly as I can. "Okay, what is your name?" "Peter," I simply say. "Full name?" I hear her writing something down on a piece of paper. "Peter Quill." "What about her?" "Gamora Titan I believe ( **A/N: Based on her alter ego from the comics** )." "Have you witnessed this for yourself?" "No, however the bruises speak for themselves and her friend Drax confirmed it to me." I hear her groan, "I hate these kinds of cases." I nod, "me too, she told me she was scared because she truly believes that her parents love her deep down inside." "I believe that too, but they're clearly insane." I frown, peeking back to immediately widen my eyes, Gamora stands there, completely tidied up and looking more beautiful than I remember. "Hello?" I realize I wasn't speaking and I struggle to produce words. I look away and focus on words. "I-I- s-sorry Gamora came up behind me, what did you ask?" I stammer, feeling her curious gaze resting on me. "I asked if you know the address of the house," she says in a relaxing, soothing voice. I relax a little but still fumble on the paper. "311 Holland Street, and I'm 334 Holland street," I reply, shoving the paper back into my pocket. "Alright, where are you and Gamora right now?" "At my house, standing on the porch." Gamora steps out and puts her hands around my waist, which almost makes me yelp in surprise. _Almost_. "Alright, we're sending two cars, however, I'd like to talk to Gamora." I nod, "alright, Gamora, she wants to talk to you." Gamora nods against my back as I hand her the phone. "Hello?" I hear her say, and I peek back and see her holding the phone with her shoulder so she can keep her hands around me. I want to wonder why, but I already know. She feels attached to me, the effect Yondu was talking about. She doesn't know yet, doesn't remember, but I have to teach her to love me again. Looks like I'm already halfway there. "Yes, they beat me probably every day, and no, they're not drunk they just blame _everything_ on me, things that I didn't even know about. Like my father losing his job three times in a row, my mothers' back issues, my sisters' early death." _Nebula? But she's alive?_

Gamora continues to answer questions until two cars pull up in front of my house, and I nudge her with my elbow, and her cute little head peeks out from around my waist and she widens her eyes. "The cars have arrived, thank you for letting me talk officer!" she exclaims, and after a few seconds, Gamora hangs up and removes herself from me and steps to my side as the officers exit their cars and walk up to my porch. "Pete? What's going on? You didn't tell me Gamora was still here?" my granddad asks from behind the door. I turn around and bite my lip, knowing that this life will not be around much longer warms my heart but also breaks it. "Yeah, well, something I left out of my talk about Gamora, she gets beaten by her parents. Domestic abuse I suppose, so I took matters into my own hands," I reply, and a flash of pride occurs in his eyes. "I'm proud of you, Pete," he whispers before joining us on the porch. "Hello again Peter's granddad," Gamora says with a slight bow, and my granddad nods. I know she's a warrior and all, but god damn she is so respectful. I can't wait for us to go back, to be able to hold her again, talk to her again in the best way possible, _feel_ her again.

"I'm assuming you are Peter Quill," one of the two officers ask, both of which are male which surprises me since the operator was female. "Yes, a pleasure to meet you officer," I say, holding out my hand. "Same to you," he replies with a smile. "I am officer Gordan, this is officer Jamison," Officer Gordan says, then pointing back to the approaching officer. "I'm officer Jamison," he says, and I shake his outstretched hand. "Now, Gamora, we heard that phone conversation, so we'll take you right over and if anything gets violent we will step in," he says, and we walk over to their cars. Officer Jamison slips into his and officer Gordan slips into his, and we follow Gordan. We go into the back and I immediately take Gamora's hand and squeeze it. "You sure you can do this?" I ask quietly, leaning in closer to her. She nods quickly, "I can be free." She smiles, and for the first time, I think it's a true smile. I smile back, just as warmly and gently as her, and I see officer Gordan adjust his mirror so he can see us. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, we just want to see if it's true." She nods, "I understand, but I'll stay on the porch. I ran away last night, so they'll be mad. I ran because they were going to beat me, so I locked myself in the bathroom and went out the window." The officer nods. "Let's roll out," he says, and the car goes into drive, and within what feels like years we reach her tiny house. "Wow…" Officer Gordan whispers. "I know," Gamora whispers back, and she gets out, and even from here I can see her shaking. Officer Gordan moves forward a bit so the car is far from her view, then gets out, his stun gun in hand. I get out as well and hide behind the brush in front of her house, where Office Gordan stands, ready to take them in. Gamora's hand shakes as she stands at the broken-down, preparing to knock. _Please don't get hurt_ , I whisper to myself as she knocks on the door three times.

Gamora's PoV

I hold my breath as I stand at the door, all of my problems are behind this door. I can run now, let the officer handle it, or I can show him. They'll deny it, and maybe the court will believe them since they're not drunk or on drugs, and my bruises are not visible right now, so what will they say seeing me with a clean face? They'll think I'm lying and I'll be back where I started. Maybe worse. I let out my breath and look at my shaking, pale hand, and jump at the sound of brush moving behind me, but I know it's just them. I close my eyes and knock on the door three short times. I open them to see a _very_ angry bald man. I can practically see the smoke rushing out of his ears. " _YOU!"_ he hisses, as he pushes me down the steps. " _YOU LITTLE BITCH!"_ he growls, and suddenly he's on top of me, about to punch. "NO!" I hear Peter scream, and Officer Gordan immediately springs up and stuns my father, and he groans and falls to the ground. "Go get your mom," Officer Gordan growls. I nod and walk up to the door again. "Mom? I'm home!" I call, and my mother runs towards me and slaps me across the face. "Why?" she hisses. I back away from the porch and she follows, but freezes as she notices the stunned father behind me and the Officer approaching her, handcuffs in one hand, an active stun gun in the other. "Which would you prefer ma'am?" Officer Gordan asks, stepping in front of me, and I immediately feel arms around me and squeak. "Shh, it's okay, it's me. Are you alright? I'm so so so so so so sorry you had to do that," Peter whispers in my ear, and I pull away and turn around, properly hugging him. "I'm alright, don't be sorry, we got em!" I exclaim, as I peek back to see that my mother decided to try to punch the officer. Nice one mom, I hope the stun gun didn't hurt too much. "Thank god you're alright. I guess you'll need to go to court with your parents, right? Luckily Officer Gordan thought ahead and recorded your fathers attack on you," Peter whispers, and I rub his back comfortingly. "You seem more nervous than me," I say with a giggle. He nervously laughs, "I just don't want anything to happen to you." I blush but don't move away. "Ahem," Officer Gordan says from behind us. I nervously laugh and pull away, my cheeks still red. "Sorry," I simply say. Officer Jamison pulls the car up and opens the door to put my parents in, and I smile as Peter and I jump in the back seat of Officer Gordan's car. "Let's go," Peter simply says, and the next few days blow by.

~Summary of court in Gamora's PoV~

My parents got sent to jail for life, and I get to live with Peter! He ever so kindly offered it (with permission of course) and I accepted, telling the court that I'd rather move in with him than a relative in a different state, and they happily obliged after seeing how close Peter and I are. I could tell that they hated seeing a child abused, even if I was eighteen and could take it, they must hate it. They showed no mercy on my parents, not that I really wanted them to. Now I've been living at Peter's for about two days, and now since it's Wednesday again (I burnt through Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, two days for court, two days of living) we need to go to school, which we easily get to, and now here we go!

~School- 8 a.m.~

"We have so many classes together, I'm so glad," I say with a laugh as Peter grabs my hand and we walk down the hall to our next class, which happens to be History (since classes move due to the day), where Markus is. We walk in to see the class filled except for Peter and I's seats. I blush as everyone stares at our entwined hands. He takes it away, blushing as well, and we take our seats. Luckily, I didn't get a spitball in my hair this time, probably because Markus is who does it and Peter probably stopped him. And with that, class went by quickly and it's already 9 o'clock, two hours until lunch.

I exit class and wait, Markus exits, not seeing me, and Peter exits right behind me, smiling as he sees me. He walks forward but I yelp as someone, no, not just someone, _Markus_ , with Francis and a few other boys behind him, pin me to the wall right outside the classroom. "LET GO OF HER!" Peter screams, trying to push Markus off, but Francis pulls Peter away. "No can-do Pete, you knew the consequences for denying us. Let's take this to the showers, shall we?" Markus says with a smirk. The four boys help carry me and Peter down the stairs and to the showers. We enter the stalls of the male locker room, and Markus pins me against the shower wall, and I bite back a scream. "What's wrong? A little quiet?" he asks, and he rubs his hand up and down my thighs. "Stop," I moan out, trying to see how I can stop this. The tight blue sleeveless shirt I'm wearing is suddenly thrown off, and I hear screaming coming from Peter, but the boys keep him still. "LET HER THE HELL GO YOU BASTARDS!" Peter screams at the top of his lungs. My black lacy bra shows, and I bite back my cries and feel my eyes welling up with tears. "Sorry Peter, but if you thought she could be your girlfriend, you were wrong. She's officially _mine_ , and not in the girlfriend way," Markus growls as he feels my exposed skin. "What did I ever do? I never told Peter to come after me, and we're _friends_ , he doesn't like me like that idiot!" I growl as his hands slip to my back. "Oh, you're such a fool. He loves you more than anyone or anything, even your little Drax. Have you seen the way he looks at you?" Markus growls, his dark eyes scaring me. "Back off," a familiar voice says from the doorway of the showers, and I turn to see Drax, Rocket, and Groot standing there, looking like a team. Our gym teacher is also there, Mr. Keener. "How?" Markus whispers. Rocket springs forward like a little rabbit and frees Peter, knocking one of the boys down, and Groot follows, knocking down Francis and dragging him to the doorway, where the gym teacher stands, and soon the principal is behind him as Peter grabs Markus by the waist and completely flips him over, and I simply slump to the ground, feeling useless, but seeing Peter struggle as two boys try to take him makes me growl. Even though I'm half-naked, I jump up and kick one of the boys, with my high-heeled boots, to the ground. He cries out in pain and the other boy does as well when I grab him from the torso and throw him to the ground. Drax hands me my shirt and I immediately throw it on and slump to the ground again, my legs refusing to move. Several teachers are suddenly there, taking the boys, including Francis and Markus, and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Gamora, oh my god," Peter gasps, getting on his knees. "I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, so-" "I'm alright, just… shocked. I'm alright, I really am Peter, and it's not your fault," I interrupt, flashing a charming smile, he frowns, not convinced, but I know I don't feel pain anywhere, well, except my heart. _He loves you more than anyone or anything._ "Gamora, I'm sorry, I should've come sooner, but I saw them taking you to the showers and gathered up a small team, I'm sorry," Drax says softly, plopping down on his knees next to Peter. "Let's get you to the nurse," Mr. Keener says from above me. "I-I-I" I stammer, but I point to my legs. "I-I can't feel them," I say, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Oh god," Peter breaths, but he immediately grabs me and carries me. Mr. Keener is about to offer help, but he backs off as Peter carries me all the way to the office, and all I do is lean my head against his chest, close my eyes and listen to his steady heartbeat. He lays me down on the same bed Drax was on, probably because he knew it would comfort me, and the nurse looks shocked to see me. Peter whispers to her and she gasps. "Please leave the room dear," the nurse says, and Peter frowns but nods. "No," I croak, my eyes snap open, stopping Peter in his tracks. "I n-need him," I stammer, and Peter blushes but looks back at the nurse. She sighs, "fine, but we'll be talking about lady things." Peter shakes his head, "Gamora, I'll be gone for a few seconds, she's just going to talk about things I shouldn't hear." I shake my head violently. "I don't want you to leave, and since when did you have so much respect?" I ask, attempting at a joke, and he smiles. "Fine," he says, faking an exasperated groan. "You're killing me smalls," he sighs, and I giggle. He sits on the edge of the bed as the nurse walks over and kneels, her eyes even with mine. "How far did it go? How much did he," the nurse staggers, clearly shocked into silence. "Just the shirt, my friends got me out in time, including Peter," I say, and I reach up to grab his hand. He gladly takes it and smiles at me, and I immediately smile back, but I don't take my eyes off of the nurse. "Thank god, but how do you feel, like, mentally?" she asks, inspecting my legs. "Actually, I'm alright. I've been through worse, my parents used to beat me until Peter called the police and told them," I say, and the nurse widens her eyes. "You poor, poor girl. No one should have to go through this, _no one_!" she growls. "I'll make sure he goes to juvenile for this… wait, he's eighteen! Under law he will go to prison for this," she groans, knowing that the principal will be light on him. "Why is the principal so light on him?" I blurt out, and immediately feel embarrassed and shut my mouth. The nurse widens her eyes, "oh, you don't know? I figured that your boyfriend would have explained that to you dear," the nurse asks, glancing over at Peter. "He's not my boyfriend, just a friend, but no, why?" I ask, stifling a laugh at the thought of Peter liking me. Markus just lied, I know it. He does that all the time, anything to ruin our friendship. Although, Peter was silent when Markus mentioned it. Ugh! I know he doesn't like me like that, but why does it hurt so much? "Oh, his loss, but, Principal Green isn't who he says. His actual last name is Young," the nurse says, a frown planted on her face. My eyes widen and look at Peter, who also widens his eyes. "E-Even _I_ didn't know that," he stammers, staring at the nurse, his hand going dead cold in mine, oh wait, is that _my_ hand that went cold? I won't ask. "He'll expel him without a doubt, but I doubt he'll do anything else. His own son and he _never_ teaches him a lesson, I think the other students deserve a rest of year expel but not prison, they didn't physically touch you, only Markus, right?" "Well, Markus attempted to rape me, but the only other one who touched me was some guy helping to carry me down to the showers, not in an inappropriate way," I reply, and I feel Peter's hand squeeze mine tightly. "It's alright Peter, I told you, I'm fine, I can feel my legs again, it was just shock and being pinned to a wall in the way I did," I say soothingly, and I feel him relax. "I'm not physically hurt," I say as the nurse opens her mouth to ask. She closes it and nods, "then I guess you should relax, or go home if you want, it's not like you should be around Markus's fan club," the nurse mumbles, and I nod. "Can Peter come home with me? We live together," I say, and the nurse looks shocked. "You two are _friends,_ right? Not related?" We both nod. "Then why do you guys _live_ together? That's a little… weird." We both smile, "because it was the only way to stay in this state and not be around other relatives who may be just as violent, I mean, I've never met them." Peter nods and the nurse just shrugs, not showing her approval or disapproval. "I guess you two can, don't let the security guards stop you, oh and you can use my phone to call your parents," she says, pointing to the school phone on her desk.

We nod our thanks as she steps out of the room to go look for the principal, and I look up at Peter, my eyes full of questions. "About what Markus said..." I let my voice trail off, hoping he'll know what I'm talking about. "We can talk about it later, right now though, we need to focus. We need to let your friends know you're okay, I'll call my granddad really quick, if you don't mind," Peter says, and I nod, not bothering to look at him as he picks up the phone and practically yells at his granddad. "Something happened, as I said, but I don't really want to discuss it without Gamora and I together, _in person._ " I actually agree with that, but I can't bring myself to look at him yet. After Peter agrees to explain everything, he clearly got his granddad to pick us up and I smile at his aggravated growls. I sit up and giggle as I look as his flustered face. He sits back down next to me and smiles, his face still red. "What?" he asks in a humorous tone. "You're cute when you're angry," I blurt out, and I blush and throw my hands over my mouth. He pouts, "I'm not cute in general?" I laugh loudly and don't even care, but I stand and offer him my hand. "Come onnnn, as you said, we need to let my _friends_ know I'm alright." He smiles as I drag him off and into the principal's office.

Once we arrive, the door is already unlocked and a lot of yelling is going on behind the door, I can't make out any of the words, but I do recognize Markus as the one yelling. "You sure?" Peter whispers, and I nod and swing open the door and step inside, dragging Peter with me. Peter gasps as he attempts to close the door but I'm dragging him too much and he only gets the door halfway closed, and I force my smile down and stare at the principal. "So, I'm assuming you aren't sending him to prison for sexual assault? He's eighteen," I say, staring into Principal Young's dead eyes. " _Nineteen_!" Markus hisses. "You're just making your punishment worse," I hiss back. " _Enough!_ " the principal growls. "He is _not_ going to prison, he is being expelled," he growls, staring at his son in anger. "Don't," Peter whispers at my anger. "He'll do something to the nurse." I shake my head, "and how would the nurse know it? Markus has probably shared it with the whole school." Peter sighs, "fine." I look at the principal with dead eyes and for a moment, I think he's scared. "Markus, or should I say, your _son,_ has been harassing me since the start of high school, he's been in your office _three_ times in a week. I don't even know how often he's been in here all year round, but I don't want to know, you're showing him so much _mercy_ , and I'm sick of it, you hear me? He just committed a _crime_. A full-out crime, a sexual assault, and you _refuse_ to take action. See this fucking bruise?" I growl, and he jumps at my language, I show my arm, where a nasty black and blue bruise appears, spreading down half of my arm. He cringes at the sight of it and I almost lunge at him. "This is from _him._ All you do is not take action because he's your son. What are you so scared of? He _deserves_ this because _you_ refuse to teach him or try to fix this!" I walk away in anger, refusing Peter's worried glances as I slip out of his hand. "I'm sorry," I whisper to Peter as I slip out of the room and go to find Drax.

~Peter's PoV~

"You with her?" Principal Young asks. "I'm not going to follow her, but I agree with her words," I say, forcing back my growls and harsh words. They laid their hands, in an inappropriate way, on a woman, and he's acting like it's no big deal. Gamora had every right to lash out at him, if I were her, I would've went harsher. "He doesn't deserve this, this isn't the Markus I know," he replies calmly, looking at his son with angry eyes. "Really? Then how come he lays his hands on a woman every day? Maybe not as far as it went today, but he gives her a new bruise _every day_. Look at the cameras if you don't believe me! I hope you realize that if you don't inform the police, someone else will, and you will be removed from the office- oh, wait, too late, I'm going to call them right now and inform them about your lack of action," I growl, and I step out of the office. "Wait!" I hear him call back, but I immediately punch in the numbers, and soon the same operator from the other day picks up. "Hello this is 911, what's your emergency?" she says, and I smile. "Hey, it's me again, Peter Quill, from the other day. I have another case with Gamora, from school this time," I say calmly. "What happened? Is she alright?" the operator asks nervously. "Yes, she's alright physically, but think she's breaking mentally. She almost got raped by another student named Markus Young. The principal happens to be his father, and he is refusing to inform the police despite the fact that Gamora is not only being bullied by him but by his friends too, not to mention that he hits her and punches her- oh my god Gamora," I say in a hushed whisper, looking around to see any signs of her. "Jesus," I hear the operator whisper. "What school is it? Are you in the school right now?" I nod as I speak, "Youthful Spartans Highschool ( **A/N Don't ask! I just took the first name in my head)** and yes, both of us are in the school, however, I have no clue where Gamora went. She probably went to tell her friends that she's alright," I reply, and the operator sighs. "I'm sending a car, tell your principal that him and his son are under arrest." I nod, "thank you." "Bye for now," she replies, and I nod again. "Alright, bye." I hang up and enter the office, to see the principal looking at his laptop in awe. "What?" Markus growls as I step closer. "Both of you are under arrest, there's going to be a police car outside the building in a few minutes, so just be nice and choose the hand cuffs, not the stun gun," I growl, and I walk out, turning back to see that neither of them moved. "Well, come on, we need to go to meet the cops out there," I hiss, and Markus stands. "No," the principal growls. "I _need_ this job, and Markus has done nothing wrong! It's clearly Gamora's fault for making him aggravated enough to make a move on her!" he exclaims, and I widen my eyes at his stupidity. "I don't even want to know what your IQ is," I say, "now come on, let's go." I step out and Markus follows, but the principal does not. "Whatever I'll get the cops to get him," I mumble, and Markus nods. "I know it doesn't help, but I'm sorry you had to see that awful, dark side of me, I didn't want to hurt her or you. I can see why you love her; she's a badass for starters, like come on she kicked my friend's asses, so," he says with a light chuckle, and I stare at him. "She's beautiful, clearly smart, speaks for herself, never gives up, and she clearly would rather her get hurt than her friends. If I don't go to jail, I'll call off everyone else, so she can recover, you know? It won't fully stop, but people will soon see the things I have," he says as we walk down the stairs and to the front door. "As much as I appreciate you wanting to stop this, I'd rather you go to jail and have them listen to me and my friends. I may love Gamora but you have no right to tell me why. I don't love her for how she looks, even though she's beautiful," I growl. "Inside and outside she's beautiful, I think you mean," he says with a smirk. "Yes, she is," I say back as we stop in front of the door. "Now, tell me why you love her if I'm oh so wrong," he says with a snicker. "Well, duh, she's beautiful inside and out, that's all you need to know. She knows quite a lot about me," I say and silently add, _despite most of what I told her being a lie._ "So, that's it? That's pathetic," he snickers. "Maybe I love her for every reason you said, but trust me, I love her for hundreds of reasons that you will never understand. Seeing her jump in front of Drax to take all the punches for him, I immediately knew she was the one for me. I always knew how beautiful she was, how amazingly smart she was, how she accepts lessons and teaching from others. I taught her how to dance, I introduced her to good music, I showed her what a friend, a true friend, says to another," I say, watching as the car starts to pull into my view. "You think Drax isn't her true friend?" he asks, his eyes full of curiosity. "I think he is, I just think she deserves to have a friend that reminds her how amazing she is, how much she drives everyone wild, but I also think that Drax is just… not as social as some others. I guess even Rocket and Groot are good friends when you get to know them," I say with a sigh, "why?" He snickers as the police car parks right in front of the school. "What?" I ask, and his eyes dart to behind us, and I glance to see Gamora standing there, a very shocked look on her face. "You little bitch," I growl. "Feels good to let your feelings out, huh?" he asks with a snicker. "Let's go," I growl, taking my eyes of Gamora and dragging Markus out to the officer.

~Gamora's PoV~

I see Peter and Markus walking together towards the front door, which makes me confused, but I follow, hearing Markus laugh makes me sick, but I must know what's going on. I already found Drax, he was walking to his class, which happens to be on this floor (the first floor) and I was going to go up the stairs, but was interrupted by Rocket and Groot, so now I'm here, waiting for Peter and Markus to fill me in. They walk up to the door and my ears can't believe what they're hearing. "I may love Gamora, but you have no right to tell me why," Peter growls, and they fall deep into a conversation as I slowly approach them, soon I'm standing right behind them, and Markus snickers. "What?" Peter growls, and he turns to see me and just stares. I want to run, I want to hide and never talk about what I heard, I wish I just stayed put, next to the stairs and out of sight, but moving closer was something I had to do. So, Markus wasn't lying. He does love me, for many different reasons, too. But why? Why me? We've known each-other for a week and he loves me already, I mean, I think I may love him too, but I can't shake off my feelings for Drax for some reason. Like he matters more to me than Peter. I know he doesn't, Peter and I feel like we _belong_ together, but Drax is my best friend who's been there for me forever. He turns back and they leave the building, going to the cop. I look down and close my eyes, not believing the choices I'll soon have to make. I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I'm brave enough to do it. I look up again and suddenly the cop is inside, looking right at me, and Peter is behind him. "Are you Gamora?" he asks, and I slowly nod, Peter refuses to make eye contact with me, which kind of hurts me. He's always been the bold one, but now he's scared? I know it's his feelings and he's probably scared, but why? He seems like he's so attached to me though he barely knows me. Okay, he knows me pretty well, but I mean we've only known each-other for a _week_! I was questioning why I felt so attached, but jeez. They walk right past me, and I don't even notice, instead I feel Peter's arm brush past mine, and I shudder, feeling his gaze on me. I wish I could return the gaze, but one way or the other we'll end up talking about this. Peter's granddad's car pulls up and I think about getting Peter, but I don't. Instead, I walk out and enter the car. "Are you alright dear?" he asks sweetly. "Where's Peter?" I then explain everything, and it takes until Peter joins us to explain everything, and we drive home without another word. This time Peter and I don't even hold hands, something we do every day on the way to and from school.

~At home~

We plop down on the couch and Peter's granddad retreats to his room, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire. I look at Peter, who has his eyes glued to the ground and I sigh. "Why are you so upset?" I ask in a whisper, and he jumps at my voice. "You're not mad?" he asks in a sad voice, looking up. "Of course not, Peter, I could _never_ be mad at you," I reply, holding out my hand, he bites his lip but takes it, the silence in the air is unnerving to me. "Are you," I start, but I sigh and change my choice of words, "do you really, well, _love_ me?" He lets out a breath and looks right into my eyes, which sends a shiver down my spine. "Yes, and I doubt you feel the same," he says, looking down again. "Peter," I whisper, "I honestly don't know, I feel like I do, I feel like I _want_ to, and ever since the day I met you, I've felt attached to you, but there's something with Drax that I feel that's holding me back." He nods in understanding, "keep in mind that I won't be mad if you don't like me back, I won't be mad at you, I'll keep our friendship normal, and hopefully right now it won't get awkward." I nod, "thanks Peter, just l-let me talk to D-Drax first though, I want to s-see what he thinks." "About us?" he asks, his eyes staying on the floor. "No, about me. What if he loves me? I don't want him to be jealous, to think that I'd rather someone I met a week ago over my best friend for life. Which, keep in mind that I do like you _a lot_ , but I mean, I just don't want to burn the bridge to my friendship to Drax." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and he looks up at me. "Okay, so let's pretend this never happened until you talk to him," he says with a smile that I can tell is forced. I smile back, but he just moves closer. "I want to see you genuinely smile," he says, and now we're inches away from each-other, which makes my mind scream at me to just reach up a little bit more. "Kind of hard since I only have one thing to smile about, and I also don't really know how," I say, letting my lips fall. "And what would that one thing be?" he asks in a low whisper. "Being here with you," I reply in just as low as a tone as him. He leans down so low that are lips are only an inch apart, and I wait for the contact and even close my eyes, but it never comes, instead, he backs off a bit and I frown. "What's wrong?" I ask, and he shakes his head. "I'm not going to force anything on you," he whispers. "That wasn't force, I wanted it," I say, leaning up a bit more. "If you want it, then initiate it," he says, and I bit my lower lip. "Maybe after I ask Drax," I say with a smile, and this time, he looks at me and smiles back, "that's better." He runs his hand across my cheek, just staring at me, and we stay like that, engaging in small conversations here and there, but for the most part, we just stay there, staring at each-other until we fall asleep.

~Morning~

"Gamora, wake up," I hear, and I groan but obey, seeing that it's already 6 a.m. "Crap," I whisper. "You know the drill," he says with a smile. I see he's already fully ready and I growl. "You let me sleep," I say, growling but smiling at the same time. He chuckles and waits by the door as I go get ready, slipping into a green and red tank top and skin-tight jeans that match literally everything I wear. I run through the same morning drill as always, running a brush through my hair and brushing my teeth, making sure to apply make-up and quickly join Peter so we can get to the bus stop, this time we're hand-in-hand, which comforts me as we get there right in time to see the bus there and waiting. "You shouldn't have let me sleep," I say with a giggle as we get on the bus and take our seat. "Sorry but I figured you needed it," he says, chuckling back. The bus ride there seems short as Peter talks about his past and his love of space, which I find the story more and more captivating every time he tells it. I always remind him on how much I love space and how much it fascinates me knowing that we're not alone out here. Once the bus arrives at the school, Peter and I thank Mr. Adel and we get in the school. I immediately spot Drax and Peter lets me go talk to him, and I thank him and run to his side. "Hey," he says as I approach him and we walk to homeroom. "I have to ask you something," I say as we walk, no students are around us since we're late, but I know someone's probably watching us. "What is it?" he asks back, glancing down at me, and I step in front of him and I look at him. "We've been friends- no, best friends- since our childhood. You've been there for me through everything," I say with a smile. "I know this is about Peter, and no, I don't _love_ you as anything more than a friend, you're free to go with him. I won't separate from you," he says with a smile. My eyes widen in surprise. "W-What? H-H-How do you know I-I-" "I'm your best friend Gamora, as you said, I knew from the second you looked at him that you loved him. It's not that hard to see, and I'd feel terrible if you didn't feel that way about him, because I knew that because of everything I've done for you, you loved me. I wanted you to have someone you truly loved, and not me, so seeing him talking to you, seeing you _happy_ with someone other than me made me feel proud," he explains softly, and we start moving to homeroom again. "Thank you Drax," I simply say as we enter class.

The rest of the day flashes by, I still haven't told Peter about what Drax said, and though we've been talking all day, he hasn't brought it up, which I respect, and I'm happy when the end of the day comes, and we're on the bus. "So, what should we talk about now?" he asks as the bus takes off and we're left with nothing but the sounds of screaming teenagers behind us. We already talked about space and our past and our future and our dreams, hobbies, classes, friends, his music taste and much, much more. "Hmm," I say with a smile. "How about Drax?" he asks, raising his eyebrows. "Dammit I was hoping to save this until we got home," I say with a smile, but my smile doesn't fade. "If you want to, that's fine," he replies. "Then let's tell each-other something we haven't yet," I say with a bright smile. "I'll tell you some embarrassing stories then," he replies, and that's what we do until we reach home. Peter checks in with his granddad and we plop down on the couch, and every day I've been here we've always been here, I haven't even seen his room yet. "So," he says, and I giggle. "So," I reply with a smile. "Care to tell me what he said?" he asks with a smile. I grin and know what I have to do, but should I? He may be mad at me, but then again, he did this to me just yesterday. Well, almost. Maybe actions will tell you," I whisper, and I lean against his chest and smile. "This is supposed to tell me what?" he says with a chuckle. "You do this every day." _Shoot_. I turn around and now we're inches apart. "Well?" he asks, raising his eyebrows. I lean forward even more and blush as I close the gap between us and he gasps as our lips finally touch, and I close my eyes. The softness of his lips drives me crazy, but it only lasts a couple seconds as I feel the softness leave me, and I snap open my eyes to see my life flash before my eyes. My pale skin being green, the two times I- no- _we_ saved the galaxy. Peter, Drax, Rocket, Groot, and me. Drax is green? I'm green? Rocket is a raccoon? Groot's a tree? PETER'S EVER HOTTER? I see my full life and I gasp, Thanos, Ronan, falling in love with Peter, the moments our team shared, and I even see Mantis. My eyes return to normal and I see glass, and realize what happened. Wrath, the man threatening to take over the universe, trapped us and put us in a game. A terrible, terrible game with no end, or so he thought.

 **A/N: I'm sure it was obvious that the world they were living in was fake, but next chapter will explain everything as thoroughly as possible. Next chapter should be around Saturday or Sunday so yeah! This chapter was done pretty quickly simply because I am a little busy these next few days so I'm getting as much work done as possible. Thank you all and enjoy! Please review! Tell me all what you think so far!**


	4. Update: Where have I been?

**Update Chapter: Where have I been?**

 **Hey guys, I know, I know, it's been sooo long since I've updated, but no fear! I was kind of playing states and regionals for all-stars (softball) and was not even in my home state so these past few weeks I haven't been typing at all, so I apologize, but now I only have softball on Sunday's, so updates should come regularly. I hope you guys are still interested in this story and I hope to hear your thoughts. For now, I think the next chapter should be up by Tuesday? I know it seems like a while but I have other fanfics that I also have to get caught up in, so I apologize once again. Goodbye for now!**

 **~Caira**


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